Alexander bratoluboff



(No Model.)

A. BRATOLUBOFF. MEANS FOR SUPERHEATING STEAM.

No. 487,317. Patentedneci 6; 1892.

fiwenfor UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER BRATOLUBOFF, OF BIELAIA TSERKOV, RUSSIA.

MEANS FOR SU PERH EATING STEAM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 487,317, dated December 6, 1892.

Application filed September 1, 1892. Serial No. 444,755- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER BRATOLU- BOFF, a subject of the Emperor of Russia, re-

power or for other purposes.

The advantages derived from the use of superheated steam, especiallyas a motive power, are well known; yet in its practical use difficulties have been met with, the most serious of which is the impossibility of superheating the steam to any desired degree and maintaining its temperature constant.

My invention has for its object the provision of means whereby the-difficulties referred to are overcome and whereby steam can besuperheated to any desired degree and its temperature maintained substantially constant. This I accomplish by placing the superheating-pipes out of contact with the direct action of the flame or products of combustion in the furnace of the superheater and by embedding the superheating-pipes in a bad conductor of heat-as sand, for instance whereby said pipes may be kept at a normally-uniform temperature which is not materially or sensibly affected by any variation in the temperature of the heating medium, and by providing means whereby the temperature of the superheated steam may be varied within certain limits by the admixture therewith of steam of lower temperature,

practical experiments having demonstrated that the temperature of steam superheated to a given degree does not vary even one degree in twenty-four hours, which may be regarded as a constant temperature for all practical purposes, and this has not heretofore been attained, so far as I am aware.

To these ends the invention consists in the construction of the heater, in embedding the superheating pipes in a bad conductor of heat, and in means for lowering the tempera ture of the superheated steam within certain limits independently of the means usually provided for regulating the heat to which the superheating-pipes are subjected, as will now be fully described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figures 1 and 2 illustrate a superheater embodying my invention by a vertical and a horizontal sectional view, respectively, the latter being taken on line w as of Fig. 1.

The superheater is preferably constructed of brickwork and may form a part of the brickwork of a stationary steam boiler or generator, or it may be entirely separated therefrom. It is divided into a series of chambers, of which I have shown two, (indicated by I and 11,) though a greater number may be provided, as may be found necessary. These chambers are separated from each other by horizontal fiues F F, that communicate with a combustion-chamber 0 below the heatingchambers I II and with a chimney (not shown) through suitable vertical flues F of which one is shown in Fig. 2, in such manner that the flame or hot gases and products of combustion will fiow from the combustion-chamber G to flue F at one end thereof, through said line into a vertical flue F at the opposite end, thence into and through flue F toa chimney; or,in other words, the hot gases and products of combustion flow in an upward zigzag direction from the combustion-chamber (l to the chimney whatever the number of heating-chambers.

I have shown the superheater as more especially adapted to the use of a liquid hydrocarbon as a heating agent, but do not desire to limit myself thereto, as solid fuel may be used by the provision of a suitable furnace or fireplace, which any skilled mechanic can provide.

The superheating-pipes p are connected in a well-known manner in a continuous serpen' tine series, and I have shown two rows of such pipes in each chamber, though a greater or less number may be employed. The initial pipe 19 of the series of superheating-pipes p in the upper cham er II is connected. to the steam-supply pipe P, leading to the steamgenerator, which pipe P is provided with a suitable valve V. The terminal pipe 19 of the said series of superheating-pipes in the lower chamber I is connected with the steam-delivery pipe P, provided with a suitable valve V, so that the steam from the generator flows through the series of superheating-pipes in a direction the reverse of that of the hot gases and products of combustion,the steam being gradually heated to the desired degree, which can be readily ascertained by a thermometer T, with which said delivery-pipe P is provided. It will thus be seen that the pipes are entirely isolated from direct contact with the hot gases and products of combustion of the heating medium, and in practice I embed the said pipes in a bad conductorof heat-as' sand, for instance, which when once heated will retain its heat for a long time, so that its temperature will not be sensibly or materially affected by any variation in the heat supplied, such as are inevitable in the usual process'of firing, thus rendering it possible to maintain the temperature of the steam substantially constant.

In superheaters of usual construction no means are provided, so far'as I am aware, for lowering the temperature of the superheated steam except by correspondingly lowering the temperature to which the superheating-pipes are exposed or subjected, and, as is well knowmthis cannot be accomplished in such manner as to expeditiously lowerthe temperature of the superheated steam. In order to efte'ct this reduction in temperature in an expeditious and simple manner, I provide a second supply-pipe P connected with the steam-generator, which pipe is provided with a suitable valve V and a valved purge-pipe p for drawing off the water of condensation;

but instead of connecting the auxiliary supply-pipe with the superheating-pipe ata point proximate to its connection with the steaminlet pipe I connect the same with said superheating-pi'pe at a point proxim'ate'to its connection with the exhaust-pipe in the lower chamber I of the superheater-as, for instance, the end pipe 10 of the upper or second tier of such pipes-so that the steam of lower temperature from the generator is mingled with the superheated steam having the highest temperature, and as the said auxiliary pipe 'is connected with one of the terminal pipes of the series itis subjected to the greater heat in chamber I but for a very short period of time, the effect ot' this being equivalent to the cooling of a hot liquid by the admixture therewith of a cold or cooler liquid, and as any reduction of the temperature'of the superheated steam is at once indicated bythe thermometer 'I the operation of lowering the temperature of the superheated steam becomesja very simple one.

For the purpose of better controlling the super-heating of the steam I provide the lower chamber I with a pyrometer P M for the purpose of indicating the temperature of the sand therein, and, it desired,the upper chamber II or all the chambers, if there are more than two, may be provided with a pyrometer.

If desired, an electric alarm may be operated by the mercury in the thermometer, a contact, as c, for instance, being adjustable therein, or a throttle-valve in the auxiliary supply-pipe P may be so controlled, the arrangement of devices for this purpose being well known to electricians and need not be described in detail.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A steam-superheater comp'risinga plurality of heati'ngchambers, superheatingpipes arranged therein, said sup'erheatingpipes being embedded in a bad' conductor of heat, a combustion-chamber'at one end of the series of heating-chambers, heating-fines con nectedwith the combustion-chamber and-encompassingsaid heating-chambers, and suitable steam supply and exhaust pipes connected with the initial and terminal of the superheating-pipes, for the purpose set forth.

2. A'steam-superheater comprising'a plurality of heating-chambers, steam c'oils arranged therein and connected in acontinuous series, acombustion-chamber at 'one'end of the series of'heating-chambers,heatingflues connected with-said combustion-chamber and extending around threefsides of the heating-chambers, and steam connections for supplying steam to and takingsteam'from the coils, arranged relatively to the latter to cause the steam to'besu'perheated to flow through the coils in a direction opposite to that of the hot gases and products of combustion in'the heater-'flues, for the purpose set forth.

3. A steam-superheater comprising a, plurality of heating-chambers, superheater-pipes arranged in'said chambers and'connectedto form a continuous conduit, said pipes being embedded in a material that is a bad'conductor of heat, 'a source of heat-supply, circulating-ducts for conveying the heat-about the chambers successively, ast'eam-supply pipe connected with the end of the superheating-conduit farthest from the source of heat-supply, and a steam-exhaust pipe connected with the end of said conduit near'est to said source of heat-supply, for the purpose set forth.

' 4. In a stea'm-superheater, the combination, with a plurality of superheating-pipes arranged in sets in separate heating-chambers pipe connected with the end of said super- In testimony whereof I have signed my heater-pipe in the chamber nearest to the name to this specification in the presence of combustion-chamber, of an auxiliary steamtwo subscribing witnesses.

supply pipe connected with the superheater- ALEXANDER BRATOLUBOEF. 5 pipe between its terminals and proximate to Witnesses:

the exhaust end thereof, for the purpose set F. KAUPE,

fOl'th. N. TSCHERGALOFF. 

